New homes in new ways with Jez Sweetland

The Infrastructure Podcast

It's a powerful episode this week as we talk about housing and in particular what can be done to accelerate construction of the vital homes that are needed to support our society across the UK.

Now the need for housing – in particular affordable housing - has become one of THE most pressing social issues of our time. The current New Homes in New Ways project being hosted at the Building Centre in London makes that point abundantly clear – too many people are still living in temporary or substandard accommodation and it’s something that, for a developed nation like the UK, is simply unacceptable.

Yet despite widespread acknowledgment of the problem, progress towards change has been slow, and systemic barriers continue to stall meaningful solutions. The Government’s new target of building 1.5 million new homes in the next five years is ambitious and welcome, but it still raises fundamental questions about feasibility, funding, and strategic planning.

So what to do? My guest today is Jez Sweetland, founder of the Housing Festival think-tank and a passionate advocate for changing the way we deliver housing in the UK.

As he pointed out very powerfully in his opening address to the launch of the New Homes in New Ways, the fact that one in nine children is homeless in the London Borough of Newham is something that should cause us an industry and as a society to bow our heads with shame.

Because building affordable homes is doable – YES it requires financial resources and land and YES, it needs innovative thinking, new materials, new techniques and effective collaboration across the huge number of stakeholders that make housing possible.

But all of this is available and possible – so why is it so difficult - let’s hear more.
Resources
Housing Festival
Building Centre New Homes in New Ways Exhibition
Jez Sweetland Launch Speech for New Homes in New Ways
Playbook - Social Rent Housing at Pace - The MMC Playbook
Hope Rise – Innovation In Practice
Register Interest for Summit On Wednesday 12th and Thursday 13th February we will host a two-day summit, bringing together local authorities, housing commissioners and the MMC housing supply ecosystem, to mobilise the delivery of social rent homes on small sites. Tickets available soon!